Perfect solution as a small external DVD writer

Author's Rating:

Pros: Sleek and slim in slze. Simple to operate.

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: 
The perfect solution for adding a DVD writer to your netbook or ultraportable laptop. Good value.

Author's Review
I recently purchased a HP dm3-1030US laptop which is an ultraportable laptop that does not have a CD/DVD drive. The dilemma was how can I rip CD's, burn CD's and DVD's or install software without an internal drive and the solution was this Samsung DVD slim writer drive. It was reasonably priced and just under 50 bucks and provides all the functionality that an internal drive would have provided.

The drive is packaged well. Set-up was a piece of cake. Once it's out of the box, all you have to do is attach the included USB cord to your computer and the other end goes to the DVD writer. It is a "Y" cord.  2 USB plugs go to the computer and the mini-USB plug attaches to the drive. If you only have one USB port on each side of your laptop  you'll need an extention cable to reach to the other USB port. You will probably need both cables plugged in to get the drive to work reliably. Occassionally I was able to get it to play CD's using just one of the USB plugs but not always.

You may wonder whether you can use an external powered USB hub for this device. I didn't try it because of a disclaimer on the box which reads, "Normal operation is not guaranteed when using a USB HUB or unspecified cables." Furthermore, use of a USB hub may void the warranty as stated on the box, "We do not guarantee any damage caused by using inappropriate USB cables or USB HUB"

Windows 7 recognized the device as soon as I hooked it to my laptop, and installed the necessary drivers. It required no internention on my part. The drive has a nice sized button on the tray door that opens the tray. A light tap is all it takes to let the tray pop open.

I put the software CD in and saw two choices of software to install... NERO disc burning software and a firmware live update program. I did not install the NERO but did install the live update software. It was a odd in how it worked and I can't say for sure whether it actually updated my firmware or not. But what I do know is that I do have the latest firmware on the device. The live update program will let me know in the future if new firmware is available and will install it. That's cool.

I made a quick burn to make a Windows 7 64-bit system recovery DVD. I inserted the blank DVD-R and the drive and computer recognized it right away. Windows 7 had the appropriate programs to allow me to make the system restore disc that I wanted to make and the disk was burned quickly and quietly

I don't think this drive could be any better. It's small, just a bit larger than the CD/DVD that goes into it. It is less than 1" thick and the case is a really attractive shiny black. It will certainly get scratched as time goes on but out of the box, it's one sexy looking thing.

Operation and setup is simple since there i only a USB cable port and a button on the doo. The drive is quite "solid" for its size and weight. I would sue some caution throwing this into a bag or suitcase, but given reasonable care it feels sturdy enough to last quite a while.

The drive is nearly perfect: it is quiet, compact and works with a variety of media at reasonable speeds: 8X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD+R DL, 8X DVD-R, 6X DVD-RW, 5X DVD-RAM, 8X DVD-ROM, 24X CD-R, 24X CD-RW, 24X CD-ROM.

I have had good experiences with Samsung products in the past and trust the same will be true with this DVD writer.